Barriers Built Around
by Lunar Sunsets
Summary: She broke down again. Fiyero quickly reacted by pulling her into a complete hug, his hand on the back of her head, her face buried in his chest. His chin rested gently on the top of her head and his eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to keep his own tears at bay. Elphaba crying was the worst thing he'd ever experienced.


With her books held tightly against her chest, the tall green Munchkin girl slipped through the crowd of Shiz students. Her glasses hung low on her nose and her braid was messy and coming undone. She hadn't really been outside much since her fight with her ex-roommate and ex-girlfriend...she still wasn't ready to deal with people, but she had already missed too many classes. So with some self-arguing, she brushed her hair, put it in a half-assed braid, dressed in the first dress she pulled out of her closet, and hurried out of her room.

The classroom was nearly empty, much to her glee. She sat in the back of the room and fiddled with her hair a bit, hoping to make it look even a little bit neater. Soon, other students entered the room with soft groans of displeasure. Only a few people noticed that Elphaba actually showed up for class, but nobody did much other than glance in her direction.

Except for one person.

Fiyero Tigelaar sat down next to her and grinned broadly at her. "Hello," he said in his usual seductive, manly purr. Elphaba rolled her eyes and reluctantly looked at him. "You haven't been in class for a few days. Care to explain why?"

"I was sick," Elphaba tossed out nonchalantly. She hated how easy lying about the whole situation had become for her. She frowned and acted like she had better things to do than talking to Fiyero, but she was honestly happy that someone at least _seemed _to care a bit about her.

"Have you seen Glinda recently? There's been a rumour going around that she..." Fiyero glanced around quickly, leaned in closer, and lowered his voice. "That something happened to her...do you happen to know what?"

Elphaba's first reaction was to scream at him and storm out of the room. She repressed that urge and quickly buried the urge to cry about what happened. It was fresh in her mind - she assumed it always would be - and her emotions were still raw. When she realized that she couldn't keep the tears at bay much longer, she uttered a quick "I'm sorry, I have to go" and hurried out of the room and building.

Part of her hoped that Fiyero - or really anyone - would follow her. She really didn't want to be alone anymore. She really _couldn't _be alone anymore. She sat down under a tree and cried into her dress, her knees hiding her face from the outside world. Somewhere, she registered the sound of footsteps coming closer and the soft whisper of her name, but she didn't care. The part of her that wanted comfort was being ignored.

A gentle touch on her back brought her to reality. She lifted her head just enough to see Fiyero sitting next to her, her things sitting in his lap and a look of genuine concern on his face. When he felt it was safe, he inched closer to her and wrapped his arm around her in a loose hug.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, shifting slightly so it wouldn't be uncomfortable.

"Did something bad happen to her?" Fiyero asked after a short silence. He paused and looked at Elphaba. Her face showed everything - from her regret to the hatred of the fact that Glinda was gone. He sighed and squeezed her slightly. "Someone said she and you got into a fight and she - "

"Stormed out and disappeared into the night, presumably..." Elphaba's dark eyes were empty for once. She showed no sign of anything whatsoever and she seemed to lose all her strength as she said the final word, "murdered."

She broke down again. Fiyero quickly reacted by pulling her into a complete hug, his hand on the back of her head, her face buried in his chest. His chin rested gently on the top of her head and his eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to keep his own tears at bay. Elphaba crying was the worst thing he'd ever experienced. Slowly, Elphaba's arms worked their way around him and she clung to him as if her life depended on it.

"I've been alone...dealing with this...for so long...it's felt like...an eternity..." she managed to get out between her tears and sobs. "It's only been...a few days...I loved her...she was...she meant everything to me..."

Fiyero held her tighter as a few silent tears slipped down his own cheeks. He'd never experienced Elphaba crying - he'd honestly thought she didn't have the ability to cry.

A little while passed before either student moved. Elphaba's grip on him finally loosened and she moved a little so she could face him without much trouble.

"I...when I found out that she was missing and presumed to be...you know..." she said through slightly-gritted teeth and a tightened jaw. She stared at her lap and played with her fingers, hoping that she wouldn't break down again. "When I was told, I got angry. My last words to her were...they were horrible."

"What were they?" Fiyero whispered.

Elphaba looked up at him with rare child-like innocence. "I told her that I wish I'd never have met her and that our whole relationship was worthless and I wished it never would have happened," she whispered. Her lip quivered and her voice cracked, but she didn't cry. Her eyes filled with tears, but none fell. She shook her head and laughed bitterly. "It's all my fault."

"Don't say that..."

"If I hadn't said that, she wouldn't have stormed out. She wouldn't have been killed. This was my fault! I should be the one that went missing!" Elphaba shouted. She balled up her fists and glared at Fiyero. "I was so angry when I was told. Angry at her, at Shiz, at everyone - especially myself!"

Fiyero took her hands in his and when she didn't calm down, her took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes until she relaxed. "Do you want to continue?" he asked calmly. She nodded and he dropped his hands to hers, gently intertwining their fingers.

"After the initial anger, I was numb. Nothing made me feel at all. I punched a wall and felt nothing. I stared at the ceiling blankly for a day before someone came to check on me. They brought food. I ate, of course, but didn't speak beyond a simple thank you. After the numbness wore off, I was hit with loneliness and grief," Elphaba said slowly, obviously trying to work through her mixed up feelings about it. She was grateful that someone was willing to put up with her to help her. "I stared at her bed and imagined her sitting there, humming and singing softly, occasionally looking at me and smiling like she always did. I felt happy and actually got out of bed to hug her, but when I reached for her, she disappeared. I slid down to my knees, but I didn't cry. I just sat there, unsure and lonely. Nobody checked on me."

Fiyero frowned. He could tell this was getting increasingly difficult for her. Her emotions were etched on her face and were clear as day in her eyes. Everything showed pure regret and sadness.

"I...I didn't even want to go to class today. I just felt like I needed to. I felt like Glinda was sitting there, whispering in my ear that I needed to go..." Elphaba murmured. She paused and stared into Fiyero's eyes for a moment before smiling for the first time in a while. She gently and hesitantly reached up and stroked his cheek before letting her hand drop back between their laps. "I...I think I know why...now..."

Fiyero felt a small spark when Elphaba touched him. Her last sentence barely registered before he kissed her. A moment later, she was returning the kiss with pure love. For a moment, all of her insecurity and loneliness melted away. When the kiss was broken, she heard a soft voice whisper in her ear.

"I love you," it said.

Elphaba smiled and Fiyero returned the smile.

"I love you," she whispered, staring at him.

"I love you too," he replied softly.

* * *

Shiz hadn't changed much in the twelve years since they graduated. Elphaba walked slowly towards the tree that had quickly come to mean so much to her and her husband. Her husband followed behind her, holding on tightly to her free hand. She carried a bouquet of flowers in her other hand. A glint of determination shone in her dark eyes and they neared the tree.

They stopped a few feet from where the flowers grew. Elphaba turned and kissed Fiyero gently on the lips before walking towards the tree alone. She sat down and placed the bouquet on the ground.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her face softened considerably and the smallest amount of sorrow showed in her eyes. "Thank you for showing me what love is, Glinda. Thank you for putting up with me and for doing everything you did. I know...I know that out last words to each other were words fueled by anger and they were harsh and cold, but I truly loved..._love_...you. I'll always love you...you'll always have a special place in my heart as both my first girlfriend and my first friend. If you hadn't been my friend, I wouldn't have married Fiyero."

She paused and glanced over her shoulder at the Winkie prince. He smiled at her and she graciously returned the smile before turning back to the makeshift grave for Glinda. "We may have said our goodbyes but...I remember you always said...goodbye doesn't have to mean forever," she said softly. Her voice cracked slightly and her vision blurred with tears. "And I...I don't want it to mean forever, Glinda. But we have to say goodbye for now...I'm sorry."

Fiyero was by her side the moment she began crying. He held her close and gently ran his fingers through her hair. She kept trying to finish what she was saying though, despite Fiyero being there and her crying.

"Goodbye Glinda," she finally managed to spit out. "Until we meet again, my sweet...just keep waiting..."

The Winkie prince mouthed a goodbye to Glinda before closing his eyes and letting his wife cry out her sadness. They sat there for a while. Time had no meaning to either of them while they sat there. The place where they had their first kiss, the place where Elphaba's barriers had been broken down, the place where Fiyero proposed right before graduation, and more importantly, the place where Elphaba requested they make a small memorial for their dear friend.

Finally, Elphaba looked at Fiyero and smiled. He stood up, knowing that whatever Elphaba needed to do was finished, and held out his hand to help her up. When she was standing, she clung to him similar to the way she did that day so long ago.

"I...I want to tell you something before we leave," she said softly. Fiyero blinked and frowned, hoping to Ozma it wasn't something horrible. Elphaba smiled shyly and glanced at the flowers. "Yero...I...we're going to be parents," she said after a moment.

"What? We are?" Fiyero questioned, grinning broadly. His whole face lit up at the news. Elphaba nodded and he picked her up and spun her around. "We're going to have a baby!" he announced proudly and loudly. "Oh Fae!"

"I thought it was only appropriate I tell you both...while we're at our special spot," Elphaba explained quickly, hoping that she wasn't blushing too deeply. Fiyero simply smiled and kissed her passionately.

With a final, silent thank you from both Fiyero and Elphaba, they left Shiz quietly to return to the Vinkus to tell Fiyero's family of the news. A short blonde woman no older than nineteen stood under the tree with a small smile on her face and tears in her big, blue eyes. She watched the married couple walk away and waved at them, knowing that they couldn't see her.

"I love you too, Elphie," she whispered. "Goodbye definitely doesn't mean forever. I'll be waiting...for both you and Fiyero...I love you." She reached down and touched the flowers before turning around and walking away, fading away as she did so.


End file.
